Palin, a former governor of Alaska who was Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate in 2008, surged 7 points since Public Policy Polling did its last survey six weeks ago.

Cain, who wasn’t included in the poll last time, is catching attention today with a new video, called the Herman Cain Train Music Video. Set to a homemade country tune, it features brief snippets of his Iowa campaigning – and some Cain’s signature comments on race, liberals and the tea party.

In fourth place is Newt Gingrich with 12 percent.

Two fellow Minnesotans remain neck and neck: Michele Bachmann with 11 percent and Tim Pawlenty with 10 percent, the poll found. But Pawlenty, a former Minnesota governor, may be the strongest “anti-Romney” candidate because he ties with Romney in a head-to-head matchup.

“What that says to me,” pollster Tom Jensen, director of the agency, said in a written statement on the website, “is that many Republicans are looking for someone more conservative than Romney but someone who isn’t bound to get creamed in the general election the way Palin, Bachmann, and Cain probably would.”

Iowa Democratic Party leaders read the poll results and immediately unleashed on Pawlenty.

“This poll is a hard truth to swallow for Tim Pawlenty who has invested more resources in Iowa than any of the candidates,” said Sue Dvorsky, party chairwoman, in a news release. “Voters are clearly rejecting Pawlenty’s ‘hard truths’ and attempts to rewrite his record as governor of Minnesota.

“By announcing his candidacy in Des Moines, Pawlenty has clearly and unequivocally staked his claim in Iowa, but so far has gotten less traction in cutting into Romney’s lead than a bag of burnt popcorn.”

Dvorsky added that Romney, who has avoided Iowa so far this except for one visit, seems to be trying to lower expectations about how well he might do in the Republican straw poll in Ames in August. Winners of the straw poll are those who do better than expected.

Romney told reporters in Iowa last week he’s not sure if he’ll be in Ames for the event as he and his strategists plot the best way to run a lean campaign.

“Though he may claim these are ‘lean times’ it’s hard to see how he can opt out of the Ames straw poll with such a major advantage,” Dvorsky said.

Ron Paul has 8 percent, the PPP poll found.

Eight percent of Iowa Republicans remain undecided.

And in last place is Jon Huntsman. One lone Iowan chose the former Utah governor and former U.S. ambassador to China. Huntsman has yet to visit Iowa’s presidential testing grounds.

The survey found Romney’s popularity is bolstered by centrist and right-of-center Republican voters. Romney, a former business executive and former governor of Massachusetts, is weakest with the most conservative Iowans, who make up 41 percent of the Republican electorate here.